With a little over a week left in Spring Training, these last handful of games are time for young players in the Red Sox system to make their mark.
With just around a dozen games left in Spring Training, time is running out in Fort Myers. The Boston Red Sox have made their first round of roster cuts, reassigning some players to a minor league camp.
Even with these cuts, the time left can prove invaluable to these prospects. For someone like Rafael Devers, who might not be a part of Boston’s 2017 roster, this could be his only chance to face major league talent. For others, it could help them get into their groove and start the season off strong.
This time is also very valuable to the players on the major league roster. As a young player, Spring Training allows you with an opportunity you rarely get in baseball. That is the ability to get to know some of the younger prospects and try and show them the ropes.
For example, Andrew Benintendi spent his first Spring Training at Fort Myers last year. He became close with Dustin Pedroia, and that friendship paid off just a couple months later. When Benintendi was called up that August, Pedey made sure he looked out for Benny Baseball. Instead of having Benintendi get an apartment for roughly six weeks, Pedroia let him live in his house until the season ended.
While this doesn’t sound like much, Spring Training is where many teams truly get their chemistry down. Members of the 2013 team have said they bonded heavily over Spring Training. Here’s to hoping that 2013’s outcome happens 4 years later, with the number one prospect in baseball leading the charge.